Reign Check

enveloped me.

“Yes, I think so.”

The rebel in me resisted this idea. But she’d grown very tired and beaten down over the last week, so I now doubted myself. “Do you think I should go?”

“The queen has given her royal word that no harm will come to you.”

Rhys snorted. “And you believe her?”

Michael’s eyes narrowed. “I will go with the princess and ensure her safety.”

“How can you ensure something like that? You’re only her servant, aren’t you?” At Michael’s highly unfriendly glare, Rhys’s eyebrow raised. “Oh, wait a minute. I think I get it.”

“You get what?”

“Why you look so disturbed right now. It’s not just because of the queen’s request of the princess.” Rhys’s gaze flicked up to the mistletoe. “Don’t be jealous, Shadow. A kiss under the mistletoe means nothing.”

“You think I’m jealous about that?”

“I think it’s very possible.” Rhys shrugged, amusement sliding behind his brown eyes. “However, I suppose if it did mean something, it wouldn’t be any of your business, would it?”

I really wanted him to shut up.

“I am the princess’s servant,” Michael said flatly. “Nothing more. Besides, there are more important issues to deal with right now than petty jealousies.”

Rhys cocked his head to the side. “It’s very interesting to me, this demon council of yours and the laws they create.”

“Oh?”

“They make sure demons are forbidden to date humans. Demons can’t date Shadows, either. But, well, there just isn’t any rule that says they can’t date faeries. Why do you think that is? An oversight?”

Michael’s lips thinned. “It’s probably because no demon would ever be interested in a faery. After all, they’re so easily broken.”

“You might be surprised about that.” Rhys’s eyes swirled, evidence that he was more agitated by this conversation than he wanted to let on.

Okay, that was more than enough. “Michael, let’s go.”

Michael looked surprised. “You’re sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“We must see your father first. He’ll be able to open a gateway for us to the Underworld. However, he won’t be happy about your decision.”

“You’re probably right. But that’s not going to change my mind. I won’t let him make a mistake that’ll cost him the entire kingdom. Or worse.”

“Fine, then let’s go.” Michael turned and, without waiting for me, began walking through Melinda’s house toward the front door.

Rhys grabbed my hand before I followed Michael out of the room. “I don’t trust him.”

I frowned at him. “Who, Michael?”

“Shadows are dangerous.”

“So you were trying to tell me before. Are there any Shadows in the faery world?”

“No. Their souls are too dark to survive in a light world. Your servant is the first Shadow I’ve ever met. But my mother used to warn me to stay away from Shadows, that they couldn’t be trusted.”

I yanked my hand away from him. “I trust Michael more than anyone else I know. He’d never hurt me. And his soul isn’t dark.”

Rhys nodded then, a quick motion of his head. “If you say so.”

“I do.”

His eyes were guarded. “Nikki … what I said about the kiss …”

“It was because of the mistletoe and it meant nothing,” I said quickly. Maybe a bit too quickly. “I totally and completely agree.”

“That’s … what I figured.”

“Wish me luck.”

“Good luck. And please try to be careful around that Shadow of yours.”

“Are you going to tell me to be careful around Michael every time I say good-bye to you?”

His lips twitched. “It’s entirely possible.”

I never would have guessed it from the last time we’d seen each other — when he’d basically thrown me out of his car because he hated demons — but actual concern for me was now in Rhys’s eyes.

I hadn’t wanted him to hate me, but I didn’t want him to like me, either. That made things much more complicated than I wanted them to be.

While looking for a gateway to the Shadowlands, Michael walked so quickly I had to jog to keep up with him. I drew my winter coat closer around me to block out the chilly night.

“It was the mistletoe, you know,” I said.

He stopped so abruptly, I bashed into him. “Pardon me?”

“That … what you saw back there. It was because of the mistletoe. It’s a human tradition, that’s all.”

Yeah. It sounded pretty weak to me, too.

“I know about mistletoe,” he said.

“Oh, well, good. Then there’s no problem.”

“Why would there be a problem?”

I chewed my bottom lip. “It was just a kiss. It didn’t mean anything.”

He started walking again. “I was confused, of course. I thought he was attacking your mouth with his lips and I should protect you. A kiss, you say? That’s what it’s called?”

I grimaced. “I never knew you were so good at sarcasm.”

“I guess you don’t know me half as well as you think you do.” He stopped again and turned to look at me. Snowflakes drifted softly down between us in the moonlight, and I could clearly see the hurt in his eyes he’d been trying to hide. “Fine, I’ll admit it. I wasn’t exactly thrilled to walk in on that. But it’s not like I have any right to say anything. All I am is your servant. I understand that.”

My cheeks felt warm, despite the cold. “That’s not all you are to me.”

His jaw tightened. “You know, I think it’s good you’ve moved on already. And so quickly, too. What is it? Five whole days? It’s amazing, really.”

More sarcasm. It confirmed that he was incredibly mad at me.

“I haven’t moved on,” I tried to explain. “Rhys is just … just …”

He waited, dark eyebrows aloft. “Just what?”

“I don’t know.”

“You like him.” It wasn’t a question.

I rubbed my forehead, which had started to throb, warning me to remain calm. “He’s the only one here who knows about me. He knows what I’m going through. He makes me feel less … I don’t know. Less alone.”

“I can understand that.” Michael nodded. “Plus, without him you wouldn’t have had a chance to see the dragon oracle yesterday.”

“Right. Not that it did me any good.” I paused. “Hey, how did you know about that?”

“I saw you leave the school yesterday with the faery king and overheard your plans. Magical cloaking and glamour tricks don’t work on Shadows like they do on humans.”

A bolt of shock went through me. “You were there?”

“Of course. With the prophecy looming over your head, I couldn’t just leave you without any protection at all. Especially with King Rhys nearby. I was deeply concerned he might try something.” He snorted. “Little did I know what he’d end up trying.”

“You’ve been here?” I said again.

“Yes. Some of the time, anyway.”

It suddenly made sense. “I knew it. I saw you … or, I thought I saw you a few times this week out of the corner of my eye, but I just assumed it was my imagination.”